Schumann's Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97 ("Rhenish"), is notable in that it has five movements instead of the traditional four: two lively outer movements, intermezzo-like second and third movements, and a groundbreaking fourth movement. Originally subtitled "in the character of an accompaniment to a solemn ceremony," it evokes through music the awed feelings Schumann had when contemplating the erection of Cologne Cathedral. As Gabriel Langfur writes in the Vermont Symphony's blog: "The music he wrote as a tonal portrait is unique in the orchestral literature, notable for the intensity of its overlapping counterpoint and the solemnity and grandeur of orchestral color, incorporating trombones for the first time in the piece for the traditional sound of ecclesiastical music. The rising theme of the movement, like the cathedral itself, literally reaches for the heavens, celebrating the efforts of mankind to come ever closer to God."

"Nagano is a meticulous technician whose music-making centers on clear articulation, transparent orchestral textures, and clarity of rhythm."—American Record Guide